I received a free copy of, The Reunion, by M A Hunter, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Zoe has been invited to a wedding in Scotland, a reunion of sorts. Zoe has not seen her friends in over two decades, but what could go wrong? These people made horrible choices, but do not really face any consequences. This book really did nothing for me, I did not like the language or the story, or the characters.

This was absolutely amazing! I was totally enthralled with this story from beginning to end, I could barely put it down, and when I finally read the last page, the house was dark, I was hungry, thirsty, needed to pee and my neck was stiff. But damn, it was worth it!

A wedding of high school friend leads to a road trip up to the isle of Jura for the nuptials.
The groom was always the ring leader of the pack and teflon coated. The remaining four hide a secret. Is there recollections correct? Why is the case being reopened by another old school friend who is a police officer?
Secrets and half truths from the past and the present entwine.
Watch as the truth unravels in lots of different ways.

WOW! I really enjoyed this thriller. 4.5 stars overall. The plot twists were incredible, and I found the suspense/pacing of the novel great. Love psychological thrillers and this one takes the cake!

Zoe, Lily, Dan and Rod haven't seen each other in the years since they all graduated and life took them in different directions. But now Rod is getting married and they're all coming together for the first time in years. They're all worried about their reunion in case it stirs up the terrible memories of the past and the death of their friend Saul, the details of which Zoe, Lily and Dan promised each other they'd never speak about again.

Over the weekend, they meet Rod's fiance whose behaviour seems strange and the group starts questioning what really happened all those years ago when they start receiving messages threatening to expose the truth.

A reasonably enjoyable thriller with a good storyline and a few twists throughout the book. I did unfortunately find it a little predictable and had actually guessed the premise of the story early in the storyline.

The Reunion opens with a strong, suspenseful premise, and immediately draws you into the tangled relationships of its characters. The multiple perspectives are well-handled, allowing us to understand the story from different angles without losing the thread. It’s this structure that adds depth to the mystery and keeps you turning the pages.

Zoe, Lilly, and Dan were the most layered characters, each carrying their own emotional baggage and secrets. Zoe’s internal conflict and past made her story compelling, though some key moments—like a particular conversation—felt a little unrealistic. Lilly, as her secrets were gradually revealed, became harder to sympathize with, leaving me frustrated with her decisions by the end. Dan, while central to much of the plot, had moments that felt a bit too convenient, especially when it came to withholding information that could have moved the story along faster.

While the tension between the characters and the suspicion among them kept me engaged, the pacing slowed significantly in the middle. After a strong start, the momentum stalls, with not much happening for a while, before it finally picks up again around the halfway point. That dip in pacing made the story feel longer than necessary, which affected the buildup to the final reveals.

As for the plot twists, some were a bit predictable and came out faster than I expected, which made the ending feel a bit underwhelming. After all the buildup, the final twist didn’t have the impact I was hoping for. While the conclusion tied the past and present together, it lacked the punch needed to fully satisfy.

Overall, The Reunion offers a strong, character-driven mystery, but struggles with pacing in the middle and doesn’t fully deliver on its promising setup. If you enjoy a thriller that keeps you guessing with multiple layers of secrets and perspectives, this is still worth picking up.

Well this was a crazy novel. First time I read a novel from this author. This is a difficult book to review. So as the blurb for the book goes, these friends from school all get reunited and are invited to Rod’s wedding. Things get crazy as they travel.They get stuck, land up in a place and them they wake up the next morning not remembering a thing but there is a dead body in front of the car. Nobody remembers anything because they were drugged. Also Rod’s finance is with them on the way to the wedding. There is also ome major detail. When they were 20: years younger their friend Saul got run over by a car and died. Anyway, they arrive finally at Rod’s palatial home and finally all is revealed. It was a major twist I never saw coming. The reason for three stars is that up until the 70% of the book it was a bit tedious and went on too long. Other than that is was a good mystery. I want to thank net galley and the publisher for the ARC I received for a honest review.

I loved how the suspense built up; I was totally unsure who to believe the entire time. The characters were really well-crafted, and I found myself liking and disliking them at various points. The setup of the story made it clear why the characters behaved the way they did. This book packed in suspense, intrigue, deep secrets, murder, and mystery, along with a classic whodunit feel and some unexpected twists. It was a fun read, not my top pick, but still enjoyable!

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read this ARC.

I will say I loved the writing style. It was a quick, simple read. However I do not feel like the ending was an ending? Just a random few paragraphs that could have had so much more involved.

How did the marriage play out? Did Lily and Dan coparent? There were more things that could have been drawn to a close but instead it was just a weird ending.

The story was decent and had me guessing a little. But it was very long and drawn out for very little answers.

3.25/5.

Many years since high school, a group of friends reunites for a wedding in the Scotland. They meet in the Scottish highlands to begin their car journey to the island for the wedding. However, at the start of the journey, something happens which causes the group to remember an event from high school, which they have tried very hard to put behind them.

I enjoyed the style of writing and overall story. However, this book was just way too predictable for me. I guessed all the twists and turns, which majorly affected the thrill level. If you don't read many thrillers, then you probably will really enjoy this book. If you are an avid thriller reader like myself, it will be too predictable for you.

Thank you Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of the book really hooked me: friends getting back together for an unexpected reunion for another’s wedding, secrets hidden from each other, a shared secret in their past. But ultimately it fell short for me. The writing style did a lot of telling, there were paragraphs where I disjointed from the page because I was zoning out during a period of on page explanation. The characters felt a little unbelievable, in the sense that the secrets they were keeping and sharing didn’t feel like they lent themselves to the plot, and were more so “shock factors” and not something anyone would actually say or do. The ending did not feel complete because of them, I was left with a lot more “why did that happen?”’s than I was left feeling satisfied. It was an entertaining read nonetheless, but not one I would deem memorable. Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Parts of this book were incredibly predictable and the parts that weren’t seemed unrealistic. The characters were wildly speculative and their train of thought was accusatory instead of grounded in reality. I love an unreliable narrator but this iteration is as more missing details.

It was a quick read and kept me coming back with the hope that I would be surprised, but overall was flat

Like omg this book had me literally on the edge of my seat .
Absolutely fantastic read so many twists and turns that were unexpected .
This is a definite must read

Title: The Reunion
Author: MA Hunter
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: November 20, 2024
My Rating: 3.6 Stars
Pages: 304

Zoe, Lily, Dan and Rob were close friends back in school.
Lily and Zoe recently met up a few years ago at a surprise fortieth birthday party.
Rob is getting married and invited everyone to his large manor that he inherited from his mother. The estate is located on a remote island in Scotland. Rob said the estate isn’t easy to find and suggested they make it a fun a road trip and drive together.
Zoe is nervous about the reunion, but hopes the long drive with Lily will shake off her dread.
However, Lily also agreed to give Dan a lift. Rod is joining them as well as his fiancée Bella.
Zoe had ended things with Dan so is a bit uncomfortable that he will be traveling with them.

This group immediately got a hold on me. I immediately was curious plus was sure there were secrets. There are hints of Saul a ‘fifth’ friend~ it seems Saul was part of the group as he is in one of the group photo.

Although Zoe is married to Ethan a teacher - her life isn’t what she had planned and Ethan is no Dan. Dan isn’t married but in debt trying as best he can to providing health-care for his aging mother.

I was curious - my arm chair detective skills had me suspicious of everyone.
I had to keep on reading – questioning who is guilty – was the whole group hiding things – or just a few Hmmm who should I trust? ~ Ok I do love Dan!

I always enjoy reading the author’s ‘Note’ and/or Acknowledgments.
In this case Author, MA Hunter (which is the pen name of psychological thriller author Stephen Edge.) tells us his inspiration for this story originates from his experience with two people he considers true friends and is comfortable with and can trust with his deepest fears and darkest secrets. He got the idea to write a story featuring four former friends who reunite many years later. They have changed however still hold a secret. But can any of them be trusted with a dark secret?

Want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 20, 2024.

A group of four former school friends reunite for a wedding at the groom’s family estate in Scotland after years of being apart. They agree to travel together, crammed into Lily’s old 4x4, but the journey takes an unexpected turn when Rod’s fiancée, Bella, tags along. The tension is palpable—Zoe and Dan are exes, Lily and Zoe are hiding things from one another, and no one really knows Bella, who is much younger and seems more interested in Rod’s wealth than his less-than-charming personality. The unease only intensifies when they take a break in the countryside for an overnight stop, setting the stage for everything to unravel.
The next morning, things take a wild turn when they wake up with no memory of the night before, and the group quickly descends into chaos. Accusations fly in every direction, as the friends question each other’s loyalty, motives, and hidden alliances. Paranoia runs rampant, not only about the current situation but also about an unresolved tragedy from their past—the mysterious death of another friend years ago. It’s clear that this past event is connected, though when the truth finally comes out, it feels like a frustratingly unnecessary secret to have kept.
While the action really picks up toward the end as long-held secrets come to light, I found myself wishing that momentum had kicked in sooner. Still, it’s an engaging story that serves as a reminder of the messy consequences of keeping secrets, no matter how well-intentioned they may seem.

This book started out as a slow burn, spooky read but then halfway through it just fell off. I was a little bored with the writing that seemed repetitive and dragging. The ending was fairly decent but this plot is overdone.

The Reunion is a slow burn mystery. A group of friends set out on a road trip only to be reminded of the death of another friend years ago.

This book unfortunately wasn’t for me. There were a lot of points throughout the story where the characters actions felt very repetitive and unnecessary. I think the book could’ve been a lot shorter and a good ninety percent of it just felt like filler to stretch the plot out. It didn’t actually add anything relevant to the story either, and left me just wanting it to get to the point already. For a book, with so much going on at once there’s also nothing important or relevant going on until maybe the last ten percent of the book. It might be for you, but unfortunately it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my review.

This was your standard reunion read with the usual twists. Easy read and easy to get into.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

This book is definitely perfect for spooky season!!!👻
The plot did get a little lost halfway through the book, but other than that it was very enjoyable!